Terry towelling

Also known as: Toweling, Turkish towelling

Traditional collective term for terry fabrics, in trade largely synonymous with towel and bathrobe cloth.

~1 min read Fact-checked by Clubmartin Textile Editorial Last reviewed: August 7, 2026 Sources (2)

Description

Frottier is the traditional German term for terry towel cloth, especially common in Austria. Technically it denotes a fabric with one- or two-sided pile loops from cotton ring yarn, woven on terry looms with a pile warp mechanism. The ground weave is usually a three- or four-pick construction where the pile warp is held back on the last pick and lifted into loops.

Typical weights: 380-550 g/m² for household towels, 550-700 g/m² for hotel toweling, 800+ g/m² for luxury bath sheets. Loop density (loops per cm²) and loop height (2-6 mm) determine hand and absorbency. Terry is usually reactive-dyed and can be executed as jacquard terry with pattern or as plain quality.

Care: 60 °C (white up to 95 °C), no fabric softener, medium-high tumble for maximum fluffiness. On first wash a lot of lint is released (fibres detach from loops); this decreases after a few washes. Organic cotton with GOTS certification guarantees tested raw materials.